New 5-Axis Machining, Multi-Axis Turning & Other Features will be Demonstrated

MOORPARK, CA – March 15, 2011 – Gibbs and Associates, developer of
GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, today announced that the latest 5-axis machining features and many other features planned for release within GibbsCAM 2011, will be demonstrated at the forthcoming AeroDef Manufacturing Exposition and Conference, in Booth #1324. The event will be held from April 5-7, 2011, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is producing AeroDef, with backing from the largest American aerospace manufacturers and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining. The event will showcase the latest in advanced manufacturing processes, from enabling technologies through advanced integrated systems. Keynote speakers from Boeing, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and NASA’s Glenn Research Center will kick off daily conference sessions.

“This industry show and conference is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the superiority of our CAM software in driving the complex machine tools that challenge aerospace and defense,” said Bill Gibbs, president and founder of Gibbs and Associates. “Engineers and programmers across the aerospace and defense supply chain will be able to see how GibbsCAM features such as MTM and 5-axis programming, plus toolpath verification and multi-axis machine simulation, can help them to eliminate scrap, increase shop-floor safety, reduce cycle times and maximize profits.”

New GibbsCAM Features Highlighted at AeroDef

At AeroDef, Gibbs and Associates will highlight additions and enhancements planned for the GibbsCAM 2011 release, including new MTM and 5-axis CNC programming features that serve the complex machining requirements of aerospace and defense suppliers. Among these are:

5-Axis Hole-Making – A new routine for 5-axis hole-making operations, aided by enhancements to GibbsCAM’s automatic feature recognition, hole manager and hole wizard, makes programming 5-axis drill cycles much easier and much more efficient. Programming drill cycles at off-axis orientations will be very easy and will take a fraction of the time taken by other methods.

5-Axis Toolpath Conversion – A new Operation Modifier allows converting 2.5- and 3-axis toolpaths for machining in 5-axis, which enables use of shorter tools to achieve smoother toolpaths at certain surface intersections and other geometric conditions.

5-Axis Machining Styles – Additional swarf cutting capabilities have been added, as well as a new 5-axis trimming (wireframe) strategy.

5-Axis Milling on Turning Machines – Support for B-axis (tilting live tooling) enables programming of 5-axis milling with Y-axis offsets on lathes and multi-task machines equipped with a live-tooling B-axis.

MTM Thread Whirling – GibbsCAM support of thread whirling attachments is a key addition for multi-task machines with multiple axes (typically running with 5-axis simultaneous motion). Thread whirling attachments provide the rigidity and rotary tools to make screws of high length-to-diameter ratio, such as ball screws, worm shafts, feedscrews and acme screws.

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Valve body programmed with GibbsCAM for 5-axis machining, as displayed with Cut Part Rendering, the GibbsCAM toolpath verification module. At AeroDef, Gibbs will demonstrate the many multi-axis turning, MTM and 5- axis milling features of its software, including toolpath verification and machine simulation.